1. Field of the Invention
The present patent document relates generally to hard hats and more particularly to a hard hat adapter for attaching a face shield or welding helmet to a hard hat.
2. Background of the Related Art
In the construction trades, welding is often required. To ensure the safety of the welders on the jobsite they are required to wear welding helmets and hard hats. A prior art hard hat 10 and welding helmet 12 are shown in FIG. 1. The welding helmet 12 is pivotally connected to the hard hat 10 to enable it to be swung out of the way after welding operations have ceased. FIG. 2 shows a pair of prior art hard hat adapters 14 for connecting a welding helmet 12 to the hard hat 10.
Each prior art adapter 14 includes a base portion 16 with a spring clip 18 depending downwardly that is configured to be removably attachable to mount 20 on a rim 22 of the hard hat 10. The mount 20 includes a slot configured to receive the spring clip 18. When the hard hat 10 is worn, the mounts 20 are located approximately above the left and right ears of the user. An arm 24 is pivotally connected to the base portion 16 of the adapter 14 and includes a mounting post 26 configured to be secured to the welding helmet 12. The arm 24 is also configured and arranged to be adjustable upwards and downwards to allow the user to adjust the height of the welding helmet 12 relative to his or her eyes.
Although this prior art hard hat adapter 14 is useful it suffers from a couple of disadvantages. Specifically, the spacing of the welding helmet 12 relative the user's face is not adjustable, which makes the welding helmet 12 uncomfortable for some users. Additionally, a user cannot quickly or easily adjust the height of the prior art adapter. Accordingly, it would be desirable in the art to have a hard hat adapter for a welding helmet that was more easily and quickly adjustable and a hard hat adapter that permitted adjustment of the spacing between the user's face and the welding helmet.